Taj Rishikesh Resort & Spa

Taj Rishikesh is not actually in Rishikesh, and that is its best feature. The resort sits 30 kilometres from town at Singthali village, where the Ganges runs clear between Shivalik foothills, spread over 50,585 square metres of terraced hillside with its own quiet beach on the river. The architecture borrows from Himalayan villages and temple forts, built from locally sourced artisan materials, with the Welcome House pavilion done in timber, stone and slate behind jaali screens.

Rooms built for the view

Every one of the 32 rooms and 47 villas is angled for an unbroken line to the mountains or the Ganges. Rooms in the Welcome House start at 38 square metres with private balconies; the Grand Luxury Ganges View Rooms run to 60 square metres including a covered wraparound balcony. The villas are the draw: Premium Villas perch on stonewall terraces with freestanding bathtubs, 90 square metre Gangotri Villas add separate living rooms, and the two-storey Luxury Pool Villa keeps a private plunge pool and outdoor fireplace. The Presidential Villa runs to 220 square metres for six.

A river most people fight for space beside, here held at a private, silent bend.

Himalayan food, Himalayan wellness

Dining leans hard into the region. Riverside serves the mountain kitchens of Kashmir, Himachal, Garhwal and Kumaon at dinner; Rock Flour does all-day Indian comfort food from the resort's uppermost level with alfresco tables above the valley; Pebble Beach fires pizzas beside the pool; Panorama Bar earns its name. The J Wellness Circle spans 1,858 square metres of spa, with Ayurveda-led treatments, yoga and meditation, an infinity-edge pool and a kids' pool. Rafting on the Ganges is arranged through outside operators. To our eye this is the most complete luxury address in the Rishikesh valley, and the one to choose when the point of the trip is the river itself rather than the town's bustle.